Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., the bill’s lead sponsor, said the issue is “a failure by the president.”

Republicans are framing this bill, as they have with the others they’ve floated, as a way to chop out what they call President Obama’s political influence in the pipeline decision process.

“The president has an opportunity. He can either lead, follow or get out of the way,” Mack told reporters in the Capitol. “The president has decided he’s not going to lead on this issue. He’s decided he’s not going to follow on this issue, so we need to get him out of the way.”

The State Department recommended against a permit because a Feb. 21 deadline didn’t offer enough time to assess a new route in Nebraska around environmentally sensitive areas in that state. Obama said he agreed and let the department move forward, adding that the decision wasn’t based on the merits and TransCanada could reapply.

The company has said it plans to reapply in the coming months.

Republicans have repeatedly called that rationale for denying the permit baseless. They have accused Obama of putting off a decision that could split two of his constituencies: many labor unions that support the pipeline because of jobs and the environmentalists.

Mack’s measure faces uphill odds of becoming law as Democrats, including some who support Keystone XL, oppose the GOP bills. Additionally, another House measure sponsored by Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., which would strip State Department authority and approve the pipeline through a different federal agency, has already gained traction as it cleared a House panel this week.

Mack acknowledged the other GOP bills exist: “I support them all. Anything we can do to get this done, but I think this is the best way to do it.” He also said he would take “any path that becomes available” to advance his bill.

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